What Fluoride Does for Children’s Teeth

Posted May 7, 2018bySunny Smiles

Fluoride has long been an important tool in effective children’s dentistry. For children who are at heightened risks of tooth decay, it’s an especially important tool. The mineral, fluoride, has a unique ability to bond to the layers of enamel surrounding your child’s teeth. By doing so, it can strengthen the enamel against harmful oral bacteria and food particles that could otherwise destroy it. Today, we examine what fluoride does for children’s teeth, and why you should ask if your child can benefit from it, as well.

What Makes Teeth So Strong?

The key to preventing cavities is to give teeth the strength to ward of the harmful bacteria that cause them. For instance, their first line of defense is the highly mineralized layer of enamel that surrounds them. This enamel protects the main structures of your children’s teeth from the harmful bacteria that inhabit their mouths. Every day, these bacteria accumulate on the surfaces of your child’s teeth, and an inability to properly clean them can leave children at a much higher risk for developing a cavity.

The Strengthening Benefits of Fluoride

While a child’s tooth enamel is highly resilient, it can be quickly eroded by acids that oral bacteria produce. These acids deplete teeth of the minerals they need to form and maintain their enamel. To reverse this enamel erosion, fluoride can bond with the weakened mineral crystals, fortifying them to better prevent bacteria from reaching the main structures of your child’s teeth.

Give Your Child’s Smile Extra Protection with Fluoride

With the help of topical fluoride treatment, your child has an even better chance at enjoying a healthier, cavity-free smile. To learn more, schedule an appointment by calling the Sunny Smiles dental office nearest you in El Paso, TX, today! We have offices in the East, Northeast, and Westside of El Paso, and happily welcome patients from all nearby communities, including Chaparral, Canutillo, Vinton, and Sunland Park, New Mexico.